Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
At least five people died and 41 others were missing after an Indonesian ferry carrying 271 people caught fire in waters off the main island of Java on Sunday, officials said. Rescue teams and nearby vessels evacuated hundreds of passengers and crew from the burning ship.
The Mutiara Sentosa 2 was travelling from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi with 232 passengers and 39 crew members on board when the fire broke out between 6 am and 7 am off Sumenep regency, according to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, Basarnas.
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Basarnas said the ferry operator, PT Atosim Lampung Pelayaran, informed the Surabaya search and rescue office about an hour later. The company said the ferry’s captain had reported that the vessel was on fire near the northern tip of Madura island, but contact was later lost.
By 9.45 am, authorities established that the ferry was about 19 nautical miles north of Buruan Sapudi island after speaking to the nearby cargo vessel Meratus Project 3. The cargo vessel could not move too close to the burning ferry because it was carrying a flammable load.
Footage released by Basarnas showed thick black smoke rising from one side of the ferry and spreading across much of the ship. Videos shared on social media and messaging groups showed frightened passengers, most of them wearing life jackets, gathered on the deck and upper parts of the vessel as they waited for rescue, while some jumped into the sea as flames and smoke spread.
The ferry was reported to be almost completely on fire, with passengers gathered on the bridge and the bow. A tugboat and another passing vessel began evacuating people shortly before 10 am, Basarnas said. By Sunday afternoon, several nearby vessels had rescued 225 passengers and crew members and recovered five bodies.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known and was under investigation. Search and rescue teams sent a rescue vessel from Surabaya, though officials said it would take about six hours to reach the spot. A rigid inflatable boat from the Sumenep rescue post was sent towards the area but later returned because of rough seas and high waves. The Indonesian Navy also deployed a warship to help with the operation.
The 160-metre-long and 25-metre-wide ferry operates on the Surabaya-Makassar route, a journey that usually takes about 40 hours and is mainly used by domestic travellers and for cargo movement between Java and Sulawesi. In Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, ferries are a common mode of travel, and such accidents occur regularly.
In all, the ferry with 271 people on board caught fire off Java on Sunday, leaving five dead and 41 missing by afternoon, while hundreds were rescued and the search continued.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
